


Drowning in the Night

by moviegeek03



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Family, Gun Violence, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:26:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29728302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moviegeek03/pseuds/moviegeek03
Summary: Things were complicated. The ice storms were raging all around them. A pile up of cars stretched father than he could see. And Carlos was likely going to spend the rest of his days off stuck at his parent's house while TK sat at their home alone. He was already dreading it all. He didn't think it could get much worse. Too bad one of the driver of said pile up decided to take road rage to a whole new level and pull out a gun on them...
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 23
Kudos: 308





	Drowning in the Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [terramous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/terramous/gifts).



> Happiest of Birthdays to Max (I know I am a bit late but I hope you enjoy!) 
> 
> As always sorry for typos. It's been a week with work and I'll go back and fix them when I'm more caffeinated. Thanks to mtnofgrace, tiniestmite, alilypea, and bristrandd for your help and reading pieces of this throughout the week 💜

The ice rained down on them as they moved through the streets. He felt the wheels on the ambulance skid and slide in a way he had nearly forgotten. He hadn’t had to deal with it since New York. Not really. Sure, there was always the risk of hydroplaning in the storms. The tornado had brought on some unique challenges. But this….this was different. This was uncharted. The bus jerked, sending him careening forward. He braced himself against the side of the vehicle, his hand catching on the drawers across from him.

“You okay back there, Strand?” Nancy yelled from the front, turning to look at him as Tommy kept driving.

“Great,” TK sighed. He shivered as he pushed back into his seat. “Fantastic.”

Nancy laughed at him. “Sounds it.”

Tommy shook her head at them both. “Sorry guys. It’s been awhile since I’ve driven on ice.”

“We don’t get ice like this,” Nancy continued. “But I would think New York back there would be used to it.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t,” TK teased back.

“Well, if someone knew how to drive and was familiar with the ice…”

“Touche,” TK sighed. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He shifted again, trying to reach it and check the incoming texts.

_“Made it to mom and dad’s ranch. I may be stuck here for awhile with the storm. I’m so sorry…didn’t think it would get this bad.”_

TK’s face fell at that. He hadn’t seen Carlos in a couple days. Their shifts hadn’t aligned well this week. But, TK was supposed to be off after this one. And so was Carlos.

_But_ …

He had promised his parents he would visit while TK was on shift.

_Too bad Texas was being slammed by a damn ice storm…_

“Who pissed in your coffee?” Nancy asked, reaching back and shoving his shoulder lightly. TK gave her a slightly frustrated and sad look. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She raised her eyebrows at him. “Fine…Carlos just texted that he is going to be stuck for the night at his parent’s place. He isn’t sure he’ll make it home tonight with the weather.”

“Oh,” she replied, giving him a sad smile.

“Probably for the best,” Tommy added, not seeing TK’s face as she was focused on the roads. “I mean, I’m sure they have a generator if they live on a ranch. It’s probably safer than driving home and dealing with all the outages downtown.” She glanced back and saw TK’s crestfallen face. “I take it I just stepped in something?”

  
“No ma’am,” he replied too quickly.

“TK?”

“Fine,” he relented. “I haven’t seen him all week and it’s not like I can just go stay at the ranch with him.”

“I’m sure Judd would drive you over in his truck if you needed.”

TK chewed on his lip nervously. “Yeah, um, Carlos’s family doesn’t know about me.”

“TK I—“

“It’s fine. Really. Just, complicated.” The ambulance pulled up beside the fire engine. The massive pile up looked chaotic and messy all around them. The sleet kept coming down around them. “Let’s just work.” He grabbed some gear and hopped out of the back of the bus. His boots instantly slid on the ice that had coated the roads. He would have fallen had his father not been standing so already.

“Easy. You okay?”

“Yeah.” He straightened himself up some. “Thanks, dad.”

“Just be careful. This ice is crazy.”

“Shouldn’t you two be used to this shit?” Judd joked, rounding on them and handing Owen some equipment.

“They actually know how to handle the ice and snow in New York, cowboy,” Owen replied with a smirk. “This is something else all together.”

“Obviously,” Tommy agreed as she approached the back of the bus. She patted TK on the shoulder as she grabbed some equipment for herself. “This is insane out here.”

“Damn straight,” Judd sighed. “People need to stay home."

“Obviously they didn’t get the memo,” Owen huffed as he waved at the mess that stretched ahead of them. “APD is in route. They hit a snag across town. The ice is just…causing a lot of problems. But they should be here soon to help control traffic. For now, I want you guys to triage and see who needs what.”

“I second that,” Tommy added. “TK, Marjan, pair up and check out that side of the road.” She pointed further down the way from where they stood. “Paul and Nancy, can you take the other side?”

They all nodded and agreed to their orders.

“Judd, why don’t you stay with Tommy and triage. I’ll take the probie and sort out what we can and wait for APD to show.”

“You got it, Cap.”

TK nodded again and slid over to Marjan. She took a tentative step, her feet slipping and sliding under her. TK grabbed her to steady her, much as Owen had for him.

“This ice…”

“Yeah this is going to be fun,” TK groaned.

Marjan sent him a look as she grabbed her own equipment. She flipped the edge of his coat collar. “Someone’s in a mood.”

TK hung his head. “I’m sorry. Carlos just texted that he’s probably going to be snowed in at his parent’s ranch for the night. Er, I guess iced in? Whatever.” TK threw his hand out to steady himself against the hood of a nearby car. “I just, I haven’t seen him since Sunday and was hoping to spend the night together.”

“He still hasn’t talked to his parents?” Marjan asked. They started looking in cars and checking on passengers as they walked. “Didn’t you technically meet them like six months ago?”

“Yes, just not as his boyfriend. He says he wants to soon. But hasn’t yet.” TK paused to talk to another driver, taking vitals and marking the car as safe before they proceeded toward the worst part of the pile up. “It’s fine, seriously. I don’t really want to push him. It’s not about me. This is about him and his relationship to them. I can’t rush it.”

“But…”

TK sighed at that. “But, I hate the whole thing. It means on weeks like this, where he has to or wants to go to this parents, we lose days together. And he feels bad about it. He feels guilty and I don’t know…it’s not his fault.”

“It’s his parents?”

“Maybe,” TK shrugged. “I don’t really know. It’s just a thing. And I hate that I won’t see him. That’s really the only thing that bothers me. Especially on a week like this.”

Marjan nudged his shoulder as they approached a car that looked a little worse than the rest. “I’m sorry. I know that’s rough.”

“Yeah…guess just not looking forward to going back to the condo tonight and hanging out by myself. While the power probably goes out.”

“You could always stay at the station with the generators. Or go to your parent’s house?”

“No thanks,” TK said quickly. “And witness the latest battle between my parents?”

“That bad?”

TK rolled his eyes. “Let’s just focus on the job for now.”

“This isn’t over, Strand,” Marjan replied. He nodded and motioned for Marjan to clear a path at the driver’s door. The front hood of the SUV was rammed into a vintage car, one that should probably have never gone on road with this weather. “Sir? Can you hear me?” Marjan cleared broke glass and managed to make room for her and TK to work. Paul and Nancy appeared at the other car, checking the driver there.

TK slipped past Marjan and started taking vitals. The young man started to move under his hands. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay, sir.”

“The hell he is!”

TK looked up at the irate voice. Paul and Nancy were trying to calm the man in the other car, but he apparently had other ideas. He was half out the car, pushing against Paul as he tried to keep him contained.

“Sir—“

“Let me go!” The man pushed Paul back, sending him tripping on the ice. He accidentally grabbed Nancy on his way down, pulling her along with him. “That asshole ruined my car! Do you have any idea how much I have invested in this?”

Marjan and TK stood straighter, trying to gain back control of the situation. “Sir,” Marjan calmly asserted, “I think the car behind him rear ended him. This couldn’t have been avoided. The ice—“

“He should know how to drive!” The man was pushing his way up and out of his vehicle all the more. TK tried to ignore him and focus on the driver he was examining. He tried to keep the poor guy calm and check over his vitals and injuries.

He remained calm.

_Until he couldn’t any longer…_

Before he knew it, Marjan was yelling at the other guy to calm down. “Sir! You don’t want to do that. Please! Put the gun down!”

That got is attention.

_That made his blood run cold._

TK looked up from his patient, just in time to see the glint of metal in the flashing lights and headlights around them. He heard the click of the safety. He saw everything playing out.

_And he reacted._

TK pushed his patent down so that the guy’s crumbled car could provide some protection. Then he grabbed at Marjan. He pulled her behind him. She fell on the ice, but was behind the car door. She was protected.

_TK on the other hand…_

He heard the shots go off. Heard them loud and clear over the thrum of the scene. Screams echoed across the road. He couldn’t place them. Couldn’t hear his dad yell out. Or Paul struggling to grab the gunman. Or Marjan.

All he heard was the shots fired.

_All he noticed was the new found pain that ripped through him._

The gunman fired at wild. Rounds ended up in the SUV. Some went wide, finding their way into other cars. But some, some hit.

_Three found their mark in TK._

The first punctured his thigh, sending him to his knees. The next caught him in the arm. And the third…the third landed in his side.

Things blurred from there. There was more screaming. There were faces that appeared around him. Marjan pulled at him, trying to get him behind the car door with her. Police showed up, securing the gun and pulling the man away. Tommy and Nancy rushed toward him. Owen.

But he couldn’t follow any of it.

“Strand?” Tommy yelled over the commotion. “Stay with me, TK.”

“Son!”

“Someone get a gurney!”

“Stay with us, kid.”

“Come on brother!”

“Not again…”

He couldn’t follow. He couldn’t tell who was saying what. Couldn’t respond to orders. They just washed over him. Hitting him much like the bullets had, hard and fast with little time to process.

Eventually, he lost track of everything.

His eyes closed.

_He faded…_

xxxxxxxxx

The sleet continued to pour, hitting against the windows and coating everything in ice. He kept checking his phone for the weather reports, hoping that maybe the ice would change over to snow soon. That maybe he could leave and make it home. That maybe he could get back to TK for the night.

“Carlitos?” Andrea walked over and joined him at the table. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat and locked his phone. “Yeah, mami. I’m fine.”

“It doesn’t look it.” She ran a hand through his curls. “Que pasa?”

“De nada,” Carlos replied. “Just looking at the weather.”

“Mmm, it looks bad out there,” Andrea agreed. “Please say you will stay the night? Not try to drive back to your place in that? Your little car won’t handle it well, and you are off tomorrow, right?”

Carlos could feel his mood dampen all the more. “Yeah, I am.” He glanced outside. “If it keeps this up, I’ll stay, mami. I promise.” His heart sank, realizing he wouldn’t see TK with the way the weather was shaping up.

“You look upset.”

“No, just worried about the weather and getting back for work day after tomorrow. I’m sure we’ll be short staffed with all this.”

“I’m sure. Your father is out there putting on chains for the truck.”

“Why does he have tire chains? We haven’t had snow in what? Decade or more?”

The tea kettle whistled from the kitchen and the power flickered for a moment. Andrea patted his knee and stood to get kettle while the lights were still on. “He bought them last year when we had those mudslide on the back half of the ranch. He wanted to be able to get back there still. The chains helped.” She poured water over tea bags in the mugs she had set out. She brought it back to the table and handed one to Carlos. “Plus he wants to be able to get to work tomorrow. I swear, you two are more alike than you realize. Always worrying about work.”

Carlos stared down at his mug, ignoring the pangs that went through him. He reached for his phone and shot off a quick text to TK.

_“Made it to mom and dad’s ranch. I may be stuck here for awhile with the storm. I’m so sorry…didn’t think it would get this bad.”_

“Mi armor? Didn’t you say you wanted to talk to me about something?”

He dropped his phone at that. “Um, yeah. I did. Do.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I—“

The door slammed open, cutting him off. Gabriel walked inside the house, slipping off his jacket.

“Don’t drag water all over my floors,” Andrea warned her husband. She squeezed Carlos’s hand and went to help Gabriel. The power surged again. Carlos sighed. It was going to be a long night.

“Think we have time for dinner before we lost electricity tonight?” Gabriel asked, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. The two walked back into the kitchen. Gabriel clapped Carlos on the back. “I think you’re stuck for the night, mijo. The ice is getting worse.”

Carlos tried to smile. “Yeah, supposed to change to snow soon I think. But yeah it looks bad.”

“Carlitos is worried about getting out to work day after tomorrow,” Andrea added. She passed the men and started pulling out pans and food for dinner. “Pasta okay? Something quick.”

“That’s fine, mami.”

“Perfect.”

“We’ll finish that conversation at dinner, Carlos,” Andrea said softly, earning a look from her husband.

Carlos let out a deep sigh. “Sure. Of course.” He tapped his hands anxiously against table top. Gabriel started making small talk. He continued talking of the snow. How much he was ready for baseball season. Plans for the spring. Carlos nodded along and replied when he could. But…all he could think about was what he wanted to tell them.

_He had planned to talk about TK._

He would. He just had to get there. To build up the courage. It wouldn’t be tonight. Not if he was staying the night. He had no desire to repeat that hell…waking up in his childhood bedroom to his family ignoring what he went through. It wasn’t worth it.

His mother stirred the pasta and his father stood to go clean up for dinner. Carlos’s phone vibrated with an incoming call, which was unusual. He normally got texts, but rarely calls, when TK and the crew was working. He flipped it over to Paul’s name and photo on the screen. He sent it to voicemail.

This wasn’t unusual.

Paul _was_ known to call every once in awhile, when TK was doing something amusing or driving the man crazy. When he needed back up. Carlos shook his head. Normally he’d love to hear the newest story of his boyfriend or see him through Paul’s FaceTime. But…

“Do you need to take that?” Andrea asked. She set some salad on the table as his phone lit up with a voicemail.

That was unusual.

Carlos clicked on the voicemail and waited a second for his iPhone to show the dictation. HIs heart dropped as the words started to form across the screen.

_“Carlos, hey man. I need you to call me back ASAP. Something, something happened at our last call. Shit, I don’t. I really didn’t want to leave this as a voicemail. But, TK is hurt. We’re following Tommy right now to the St. David’s. Some asshole pulled a gun at a pile up. I don’t…TK got shot. Carlos please call me back.”_

Carlos’s hands shook and his heart leapt to his throat.

_Oh god…_

Carlos jumped up from the table, knocking his chair over in the process.

“Carlos?” His mom called out to him, but he ignored it. He fingers slid over his screen, nearly dropping his phone as he tried to click on Paul’s number.

“Mijo?” Gabriel called. “Where are you going? What—“

Carlos didn’t answer. He ran out the front door and onto the porch. He had to call Paul and he didn’t trust himself in front of his parents. He didn’t want…he didn’t know. He just had to get away. He called Paul as soon as his feet hit the covers porch. He could just barely hear the ringing over the sleet.

_“Carlos!”_

“God, Paul! What happened? Is he…”

“He alive, man. He is alive.” Carlos let out a choked sob at that. _“He’s not in good shape but he’s breathing.”_

“What happened?”

_“Pile up downtown. He was checking a driver with Marjan. I was with Nancy doing the same on another car. My driver,” Paul took a deep breathe, “was pissed off about his car being totaled. Went off about it. Pulled a gun from a hip holster I couldn’t see. He started shooting at the driver. TK…”_

“Protected them.”

“ _And Marjan.”_

“How bad are we talking, Paul?” Carlos was pacing the porch. He didn’t hear the front door open behind him over the call and the ice. He didn’t hear his dad step outside.

_“He got hit with three bullets that I could tell. It’s not…you should come as soon as you can. If you can in this weather. He—“_

“I’ll be there. I’ll figure it out.”

“Carlos?”

Carlos turned around and saw his dad looking at him with a lot of worry.

_“Carlos?”_ Paul called again.

His father grabbed him and pulled him back inside from the porch.

“ _I’m going in to the ER now. They’re going to let us all in. Since we’re all vaccinated. They’re going to let us wait. Owen’s going ahead now.”_

“Keep me posted on him. Please.” Carlos’s voice cracked as he spoke, earning a raised brow from his dad. He hung up his phone. He closed his eyes against the tears that wanted to fall and rubbed at his face. When he opened them again, his parents were both staring at him. “I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat. His hands shook. He looked around the room frantically for his keys. “I…i have to go. Something. Something came up. And I can’t. I have to go.”

“Carlos! You can’t go in this weather. Not in that car of yours.”

“Listen to your mother.” His father stood, putting a hand on his arm again. “You can’t leave in this.”

“I have to,” Carlos asserted. He felt the panic rise with each step. With each shaky breath.

“Mijo, nothing can be that important, that you have to go out in this weather and risk—“

“I have to go, mami. I’m sorry.”

“You are not going out in this. Carlos—“

“My boyfriend just got shot,” he blurted out. 

The room went silent at that. His parents stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before moving. His mother took a step closer to him. He let a tear fall down his cheek, not sure what to expect. Before he could move, she wiped his cheeks with her fingers, gently comforting him.

“Carlitos….”

He swallowed thickly. His dad grabbed his arm and pushed him into a nearby chair. “Are you dating a cop?”

Carlos didn’t know what to expect, but that wasn’t it. “Um, no. Firefighter. Well, paramedic. He just transitioned to that a month ago. He’s a paramedic.” He realized he was rambling and trying to look anywhere but at his parents.

“The boy,” his mom continued. “From the market? A few months ago. It’s him, isn’t it?”

Carlos chewed his lip and just nodded.

“How bad is it?” She asked, reaching over and squeezing his hand.

Carlos closed his eyes. “Not good.” He felt his mom squeeze his hand harder. “He got hit three times according to his friend who was there. Um, not sure where. But…this is the second GSW in a year.”

“Dios mio…how do you find a firefighter who gets shot more than most cops I know?” Gabriel said with a soft look on his face.

Despite the light tone, Carlos couldn’t help but feel the panic increase. He covered his face as more tears fall. His mother pulled him into her arms. His father moved away. He could hear jingling and banging across the room.

“Come on, kid. Let’s go.”

“What?” Carlos looked up to see his father putting on his coat, his keys in his hand.

“Get your coat. I’ll take you to town in the truck.”

“Huh?”

“You said your boyfriend was taken to the ER. The roads are too bad for your car. I can’t let you drive the truck; I need it for tomorrow. But, I can take you to the hospital. I’ll bring your car once the roads are better. I’m sure one of your friends or, TK is it? One of his friends or coworkers can drive you home. Though from that look on your face, can’t see you leaving the hospital any time soon. Not without him.”

Carlos stared, mouth agape at his dad. His mom patted his arm and stood. She grabbed his coat and backpack for him. “Go on, mi amor. It’s okay.”

That was all Carlos needed. He stood on unsteady legs and gathered his stuff. He let his mom kiss him and push him toward the door. The ice and snow hit once he was outside, but he managed to follow his dad nonetheless to the truck. He slipped nearing the truck and would have fallen had it not been for his dad grabbing him.

“Easy. Don’t think you want to have to be in the ER for yourself tonight.”

“Thanks,” Carlos replied. He let his dad help him up and into the truck. Gabriel came around and jumped up into the driver’s seat. He carefully back out, pumping the brakes as he hit some ice himself. The soon made it on the road. It was a slow trek, but Gabriel seemed to be willing to do it for Carlos.

“You’re shaking. If you want to turn up the heat, go ahead,” Gabriel said as they finally found the main road.

“Not cold,” Carlos replied, though he kept shivering.

“You’re worried.”

He chewed on his lip. “Yeah. The last time he was shot…” He took in a sharp breath. “It was kind of touch and go at first. Then he spent four days in a coma.”

Gabriel nodded. “You want to tell me how long you two have been together?”

“Um, yeah.” Carlos rubbed at the back of his neck. “Almost a year.” He stole a glance at his dad. Gabriel just nodded, encouraging Carlos to go on. “We dated a little before that. But we weren’t official til after he was shot.”

“What happened? How does a firefighter get shot?”

“First time, a kid.” Carlos rubbed at his eyes at the memories. “We were working a home invasion. Dispatch managed to figure out that a man with dementia had broken into his old home. Scared the couple and their grandson enough that they locked themselves into their bedroom with a gun. The grandfather went into cardiac arrest after we got the break in resolved. TK and his team went in. The grandson…he got scared that it was still the intruder. TK broke down the door and the kid fired. Hit him in the upper chest, toward his shoulder.”

Gabriel sucked in a deep breath. “You were there. You had to watch.”

“I was outside. But, I saw Michelle working on him and bringing him out.”

“I can’t imagine how hard that had to be.”

Carlos couldn’t wrap his head around the conversation they were having, but he let it happen. “Not my best day.”

“You love him?”

“I do.” Carlos was proud of himself for how his voice didn’t waiver.

Gabriel kept his eyes on the road but reached over and squeezed Carlos’s shoulder. “Tell me about him.”

Carlos was shocked at his father’s responses. Hell, he’d been shocked at all of this. But, he didn’t want to break the bubble. Break whatever this was. So he talked. He told his dad about TK. About his boyfriend. It helped. It passed the time as they drove to the hospital. As the ice and snow got worse. It took a lot longer for them to drive. What would normally take forty minutes took hours. It had been probably three hours since Paul had called.

“Here we are.” Gabriel turned in his seat. “Go on. I’ll bring your car to you once this storm passes.” He reached over and squeezed the back of Carlos’s neck. “Call us if you need anything. At all. We’ll figure it out. I would stay now, but, I worry about your mom at the ranch by herself. I—“

“I understand,” Carlos cut off as he took off his seatbelt. He bit his lip and made up his mind. He surged forward and pulled his dad into a hug. “Thank you.”

Gabriel returned the hug. “Call me.”

Carlos nodded against his dad’s shoulder before pulling away. He got out of the truck and rushed into the ER. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and hiked his backpack up on his shoulders. He was about to call Paul when he heard his name across the room. He looked up to see Judd.

“Reyes!”He ran over and was surprised when Judd pulled him into a hug. “Wasn’t sure if you’d make it with this weather.”

“My dad had tire chains.” Judd raised an eyebrow at that; the whole team knew Carlos was working on his family situation. “It’s a long story. And I’d really like to get to TK.”

Judd gave him a sympathetic look at that. “Come on. We’re upstairs. I just came down to grab a coffee.”

“How is he? What happened? How—“

“Slow down.” Judd guided him toward the desk for a visitor badge. “He should be in recovery soon. He’s been in surgery for awhile.” Judd nudged him into the elevator and hit their floor. “They were trying to repair his spleen and stop the bleeding in his leg.”

“God…”

“He’s strong.” Judd squeezed his shoulder.

“What happened?”

Judd sucked in sharp breath. “I wasn’t close enough but I saw some of it. Guy went off. Was pissed about his car or some shit. So started shooting at the driver TK was checking. Ended up hitting TK in the thigh first, went straight through. Another got him in the arm. Tommy’s pretty sure it was a through and through but that it may have fractured his wrist. The last…” Judd ran a hand over his face. “Caught him in the side. They think it went up and ricocheted around a rib and nicked his spleen. They wanted to try to repair the damage without having to remove the organ if they could.” The elevator pinged and halted. “Tommy and Owen can explain better than me.”

Carlos felt sick at the description. He managed to shuffle forward and let Judd lead him toward a private waiting room. The rest of the crew and TK’s parents were already there. Judd nudged him toward Owen and Gwyn as he went to Grace. Paul saw him first and stood, pulling him into a hug. Owen followed. Gwyn took his hand and pulled him into a seat. Everyone started talking at him. He responded as best he could.

_But he just wanted TK._

His desires would be granted for another couple hours. It took the surgeons an hour after he had arrived to finish treating TK and another hour for him to be out of recovery. His parents had gone in first to check over things and talk to the doctors. They returned, teary and red eyed, to allow Carlos time alone with him.

He finally was at TK’s bedside, much as he was the first time around, taking his hand and trying to prove to himself that his boyfriend was alive. That he was still with him. That they were still together.

_Only this time around, Carlos didn’t have to wait four days for TK to wake._

This time, he only had to wait about thirty minutes. 

Carlos was rambling on. Telling him about how he’d blurted out their relationship to his parens. How they hadn’t really talked it out yet, but that neither had said anything bad. How they had immediately helped him. Brought him to the ER and wanted updates. How his mom and dad had both asked about him already. He had his eyes down, looking at their intertwined hands instead of up at all the wires and tubes around TK’s face.

“You told.”

Carlos was started by the quiet, breathy voice. He jerked up, feeling a slight pressure in his hand. He saw TK’s eyes, hazy with pain and slitted with exhaustion.

“Ty,” Carlos sighed in relief. He reached up, letting his hand run through TK’s hair.

“Hey.” TK closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.

“Let me get a nurse,” Carlos urged. TK held his hand as tight as he could to stop him. “Babe, you’re in pain.”

“Stay.” TK turned his head toward Carlos more. “Please.”

Carlos sighed and moved closer to the bed. “How’re you feeling?”

“Like I got shot again.” His words slurred some and his eyes were already slipping shut.

“Try three times.” Carlos let his nails run along TK’s scalp, trying to offer some comfort.

“Ouch…” TK shivered a little.

Carlos pulled up the blankets and smoothed them out, mindful of all the bandages he knew were hidden underneath. “Yeah. My dad said you’ve now been shot more than most cops he knows.”

TK snorted at that but winced. Carlos was quick to run his hand along TK’s forehead as the pain reside. “You told them.”

“I did,” Carlos replied. “Was hard to hide it once Paul called about you.”

“I’m sorry.” TK was already starting to fade back to sleep, as much as he was fighting it.

“No. Don’t be.” Carlos weighed his options for a moment before carefully moving to sit on the edge of the bed. TK instantly let his head rest against Carlos’s shoulder. “Besides, it’s only fair. Your dad found out about me through your first go around with this. Guess it’s fitting mine found out this way.”

TK shook his head and laughed a little. It soon turned into a groan. “Owe…don’t make me laugh right now.”

“I will try. As long as you promise to try not to get shot again.”

“Deal…” TK was already falling back asleep, too tired to keep up with more. Carlos let him. He stayed where he was on the bed. Just trying to convince himself that things would be okay. That his parents were going to be good. That TK would survive. That this nightmare would be okay…

It took days for Carlos to even think that maybe, just maybe, things would be okay in the long run. TK spent most of those half asleep and in pain in the hospital. Five days to be exact. It took five full days for him to be discharged. Owen had picked them both up that morning and brought them back to the condo. Carlos’s car was still at his parents’. He hadn’t had the chance to deal with it yet. He would. But that wasn’t his priority for now.

Now, his priority was to keep his stubborn boyfriend from moving off the damn couch.

“Will you please just lay down…”

TK at least had the wherewithal to look guilty as he reached for the remote on the coffee table. “I will. I just wanted to find a movie to watch.” His good arm was curled protectively around the pillow he had all but glued to his stomach. He said it helped alleviate the pain in his abdomen. There were more pillows half discard on the other side of the couch for his thigh to keep it elevate. His bad arm was sporting a brace and lots of bandages. That same arm was reaching out for the TV remote.

“Let me get it, please.” Carlos had been in the kitchen trying to take stock of their supplies. He knew he needed to get groceries. Their power had been knocked out for a couple days with the weather, making them run low on just about everything.

“I can do it. I didn’t want to bother you.”

Carlos rounded the corner and handed him the remote, urging him to lay down. He helped and fluffed pillows all around him before pressing a kiss to his forehead. “You aren’t bothering me. I want to take care of you. And you should be resting right now.” He wiped a tear that had betrayed TK’s pain levels from his face. “You’re hurting.”

TK nodded with a sigh. “Moving just sucks, but I have to do it some. It’s okay.”

Carlos gave him a sad smile. “Let me see what food we have in the pantry that I can throw together. So you can have your meds.” Owen had gone and picked those up in advance for them. Carlos should have asked Paul or Judd to gather groceries too. He hadn’t thought ahead. He’d been so consumed with getting TK home…

“Hey, stop that,” TK urged, tapping Carlos’s hand. “I’m fine. Promise.” Carlos raised an eyebrow at that. “Okay I’m maybe little less than fine but I’ll be okay. And I’ve done worse things than take medication on an empty stomach.”

“Babe, I—“

Before Carlos could call him on the self deprecation and talk, the front doorbell rang. TK startled at it, wincing a little.

“I’ll get.” Carlos stood up and helped TK lay down more fully. He smiled fondly as TK all but hugged the pillow to his chest. “Just relax. Please.”

TK just nodded and turned on reruns on Netflix while Carlos got the door. Carlos figured it was the mailman or some random delivery he had forgotten about in the hustle of everything. He was shocked when he opened the door to see his parents, arms full of bags of groceries and supplies.

“Mami? Papi? What?”

“We thought you may need some things. With the storms and being at the hospital so much,” Andrea replied, shifting almost nervously.

“Can we come in?” Gabriel asked.

“Um, yeah,” Carlos stepped aside and let them in. He shot TK a glance. His boyfriend was starting to sit up. “Hey, no, don’t you move.” He didn’t care if it looked bad in front of his parens, he wasn’t about to let TK sit up again. Not after having finally gotten him to relax ont he couch.

TK gave him a wide eyed look in return but froze in his movements. He gave in at Carlos’s glare and laid back down fully.

The whole interaction earned a laugh from Gabriel. He patted his son on the shoulder and entered the room. “You are definitely your mother’s child.”

“Don’t tease the boy,” Andrea chastised. “Carlitos, you show me where these go in a minute? I can cook something for you boys if you haven’t eaten yet.”

“Um, yeah, here.” Carlos shut the front door and sidestepped around his parents to show them his kitchen. “You can put things wherever for now. I don’t mind.”

“Thank you, mijo. Go, sit down yourself. You look exhausted.”

Andrew shooed him away and back to the living room with TK, who smirked at his boyfriend for being told to rest himself.

“You do need to rest yourself,” TK replied softly once Carlos said down behind his head, fixing the pillows so that TK’s head was against his thigh. “I know you haven’t slept much this week.”

“I’m okay.”

“It looks like you both are exhausted,” Gabriel said. He and Andrea entered the living room again.

“It’s been a long week,” Carlos relented.

“It has,” Andrea softly said. “So, this is TK.” She made sure to enunciate the letters correctly. “Your boyfriend?”

Carlos couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief at hearing his mother call TK that. “Yeah, yeah it is. Um, this is my boyfriend TK.” TK shifted to try to get up to properly meet Carlos’s parents. “Who better not even think of getting up again.”

Gabriel laughed at the startled look on TK’s face. “I’d listen to him. If he’s anything like this one here,” he pointed at his wife, “I wouldn’t test him.” Gabriel came down to TK’s level and shook his good hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

Carlos’s mom did the same before offering to cook for them. She didn’t give them much room to argue or turn the offer down. Instead, she went off and moved about the kitchen. Gabriel started asking if there were other things the boys needed and began taking care of small things around the house for them.

His parents ended up staying most of the day, helping and getting to know TK. Getting to know him and Carlos as a couple. They stayed til it was getting dark and TK was all but passed out against Carlos’s side. Gabriel even offered to help Carlos get TK up the stairs and to their bed.

Carlos couldn’t believe it all. As he laid down that night, he felt like everything had happened in a haze. In shock and maybe awe at it all.

“Your mom is a great cook,” TK said softly, startling Carlos.

“Hey, I thought you were asleep.” Carlos shifted under the blankets and moved closer to TK.

“I’m mostly asleep.” He gave his boyfriend a lazy smile. “But you were thinking too loud.”

“I was, huh? I guess I was.” Carlos adjusted them so that TK’s upper body was more supported by his own. “Just, kind of shocked that my parents have been good this week. I mean, I don’t know. I just…”

“I know.” TK turned and gave Carlos a kiss. “I’m proud of you. I know this hasn’t been easy.”

Carlos knew he meant more than just this week. He meant everything. Since he was seventeen. All of it.

“No, it hasn’t.” Carlos let his head fall on top of TK’s. “But you are more than worth it.” He pulled the blankets up and around them. “I love you.”

“I love you too, babe.”

Carlos could hear TK’s breathing even out. The exhaustion finally winning. Soon it would win for him too. But for the moment, he laid there letting himself just hold TK. Letting him just be.

Letting himself be.


End file.
